WASHINGTON – The White House said Tuesday it has not confirmed the authenticity of a video that purports to show the killing of American journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants.

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the administration has seen the video and that the intelligence community is working as quickly as possible to determine if it is authentic.

“If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” Hayden said in a statement.

Foley, a freelance journalist from Rochester, New Hampshire, went missing in Syria nearly two years ago.

The release of the video allegedly showing his death comes amid a U.S. airstrike campaign against Islamic State targets in Iraq.

The group has declared an Islamic state in the territory it controls in Iraq and neighboring Syria, imposing its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.